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HOW YOUR BELIEF SYSTEM INFLUENCES YOUR LIFE

A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses, it is an idea that possesses the mind. There is a
strong unconscious drive to behave consistently in accordance with our beliefs. Our beliefs will
stop us from trying certain things or they affect our results, and therefore our ultimate happiness,
in different ways.
Whatever we believe with feeling, rightly or wrongly, positive or negative, becomes our reality.
Our beliefs form a filter through which we see our entire world, and we naturally resist allowing
information that is inconsistent with our beliefs to pass through our filter.

So, even if we have beliefs that are totally inconsistent with reality, because we believe them to
be true, they become true for us and we behave and act in a manner that is consistent with
those beliefs.

The connection between values and beliefs

Our values are our emotional states, based on life experience and inheritances from our parents,
siblings, friends and teachers. They are the emotional states that we believe are the most
important to experience (the pleasurable positive values we move towards, such as love,
happiness, significance, security and spontaneity), or to avoid (the negative values that bring us
pain such as fear, loss, sadness, doubt and boredom).

Remember that cars, houses, money, relationships are not values, they are objects of desire. It is
the feeling these things bring to our lives that are represent our values.
A belief is nothing more than a feeling of absolute certainty that something has a particular

meaning to us. Many of the beliefs we hold onto so tightly, are either out of date, no longer
serving us, or do not belong to us at all, having inherited them from others. Beliefs can either
positive or negative, they can either limit or liberate us.
Where do our beliefs come from?

Our earliest and initial beliefs stem from childhood. From birth up to the age of two years, we
believe that anything is possible. We are born with only two fears and without the inhibitions the
develop later in adulthood:

· A fear of loud noises

· A fear of falling
From childhood onward, we slowly begin to adopt and acquire other beliefs which we inherit
from our parents, peers, teachers and what we see, hear and experience. We believed things
when we were children that now seem silly. We will believe things now that we never even
thought before.

How does this happen?

Children have little or no information to analyse situations, starting out in life as they do, as a
blank sheet of paper. Because of this, they tend to accept information without judgement. For
example, let us imagine a beautiful young girl who loves dancing. She practices with passion
daily and is truly at her happiest when entering competitions and performing. If that child is
praised only when performing or looking her best, she will have embedded in her the belief that
she is only worthy of praise when looking her best or winning.